The new Grand Vitara range benefits from a raft of improvements, which have delivered a noticeably quieter and more comfortable car to drive.

The refinement upgrade is a direct result of customer feedback, delivering a vehicle that is more powerful, more economical, safer and much quieter.

The new engines provide the basis for the added refinement, being significantly quieter and smoother than the superseded engines.

The 2.4-litre has a balancer shaft to add to the quiet, smooth ride, while another upgrade was to change the propeller shaft joints to sliding constant velocity joints for reduced vibration and noise.

The Grand Vitara 5-door cabin benefits from the addition of a lower door trim seal and upgrading the glass in the front doors from 3.5mm thick to 4mm.All these changes have helped reduced cabin noise by around 2 decibels.

Safety

A host of standard safety measures makes the new Grand Vitara one of the safest compact SUVs in the market.

Headlining the safety story is the inclusion of ESP® (Electronic Stability Program), which is now standard on all Grand Vitara models.

ESP® combines the advantages of stability control system, anti-lock braking system (ABS) brakes and Grand Vitara’s Traction Control System (TCS) and multiplies the benefits of both.

It helps to maintain stability through programmed intervention in the braking system and powertrain, or a combination of both.

ESP® is the next generation in driving aids, utilising Grand Vitara’s braking system as a tool for helping maintain safe control of the vehicle.

The basic function of the brakes – to decelerate or stop the vehicle – is complemented, as ESP® helps maintain the vehicle’s stability and desired course.

The hardware incorporates two critical elements in addition to the traction control system hardware – a steering wheel angle sensor and a combination rotational yaw rate and lateral/longitudinal motion sensor.

ESP® is constantly working in the background, monitoring all its sensors many times each second, to check the driver’s steering wheel position, throttle pedal position, whether the driver is braking or not, and where the vehicle is actually going.

By comparing the input from all sensors, the system is able to intervene early enough to reduce the risk of unwanted skids and potential loss of control.

Specific braking intervention is then directed at individual wheels – such as the inner rear to counter understeer, or outer front during oversteer.

For example, if the driver approaches a roundabout that tightens more sharply than expected, the driver will suddenly turn the wheel in the intended direction of turn, but may be carrying too much speed to safely negotiate the turn.

If a driver swerves rapidly to avoid colliding with an object or another vehicle on the road, the vehicle may not respond quickly enough to follow the desired path, or may over-respond, resulting in oversteer.

In both examples, ESP® will notice the angle of steering wheel input and the direction of travel and brake the appropriate wheel to help keep Grand Vitara on its intended path.

It represents a genuine application of active safety that has the potential to significantly improve road safety.

Suzuki Australian General Manager Tony Devers said ESP® was acclaimed by safety experts as the most significant contributor to reducing road trauma since the introduction of seat belts.

“A recent Monash University study showed that ESP can reduce the risk of a single vehicle accident where the driver is injured by 68 per cent.”Devers said while ESP® offered increased safety levels, it was no substitute for safe driving.